How to Shop Online in Malaysia Like a Pro

Malaysians can be ruthless online shoppers (think ninjas with a shopping basket) and very particular about freebies, discounts, sales and any way they could save two cents. Ever since the GST rolled out, people are looking for smarter ways to spend their money and I found that there's no way better to do it than right from your computers. After some research and testing, I'll show you how to save money and shop online in Malaysia like a pro ninja:

1. Sign up for all your favourite online stores

Easy enough. But don't just stop there. Fill out your profile and save your bank or card details for fast checkout. It may seem like a hassle right now but you'll understand why later. Or you can use a shopping aggregator site like iPrice that gathers all the goods from large online merchants in Malaysia and puts them in one place, with all of their offers and coupon codes.

2. Sign up for their newsletters

Many online merchants give out coupon codes just by signing up for their newsletters. Bam! - there's your first saving.

3. Collect more coupon codes

A lot of these merchants will have coupon codes for you to use on their sites but if you missed out on any, DealHero.my is a fantastic site which collects all coupon codes from online merchants like Rakuten, Reebonz, and even MyTeksi! Visit them often to find if there's a valid coupon code you could use.

4. Wait for sales

If you're really trying to get the best bang for your buck, you should always wait for sale seasons. This is also where your newsletter subscription comes in handy - some merchants give special early preview discounts just for newsletter subscribers. They also throw big sales during their birthdays (which somehow falls concurrently around March/April) so do some research beforehand and get ready to stealth-wait for some sales because that Xbox you've been eyeing could fly off the shelves in seconds. But this being Malaysia, almost all the stores throw a sale just 'cause it's Tuesday.

5. Sign up for cashbacks

Lastly, sign up with Shopback.my. Shopback lets you earn cashbacks ON TOP OF ALL applicable merchant discounts and coupon codes. How they work: (1) you visit an online merchant via Shopback.my, (2) you shop, (3) they collect a portion of the commission, and then (4) passes on the rest to you. Simple. Oh, if you sign up using this link you get RM5 automatically credited to your account, no questions asked.

6. Keep note of card/payment offers

For example, Zalora.my has a fantastic partnership with Mastercard and offers an extra 7% off every Thursdays for purchases made with Mastercard. Save your "merchant preferred" card or payment method details on your account and you'll never lose out.

7. Time to shop!

Now that you've got everything ready, it's time to do some damage. Always start your shopping through Shopback.my (enable cookies and pause your Adblock for this to work), click on 'get cashback' on the merchant page and you'll be redirected to the merchant site. Shop as you normally would. Assuming the items you're buying are on sale and you've got a coupon code at your disposal, you're ready to save. So discounts + coupon code + cashback + card offers = maximised savings! And don't forget to pre-save all your billing, shipping and payment information for fast processing - especially during flash sales!